This invention relates generally to cassettes for containing and dispensing photosensitive film material and, more particularly, to a reusable cassette that can be reloaded with a roll of film by the user.
Disposable cassettes are known in the prior art for containing and dispensing rolls of photosensitive film used by the printing industry in image setters like the DPM 2340 manufactured by A.B. Dick Company, for example. Typical of such prior art cassettes is that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,211 to Robbins. The film cassettes commercially available today are expensive because they are proprietary to the current single-source manufacturer, are disposable, and, therefore, do not permit reloading with film of the user""s choice. Thus, the user of these disposable cassettes would experience a shutdown in his printing operations during periods of short supply or total unavailability of cassettes. Moreover, the disposal of these cassettes, which are fabricated of cardboard, plastic, and foam rubber, presents an environmental concern.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a reusable cassette in accordance with the present invention for containing and dispensing rolls of photosensitive film. An exhausted roll of film may be easily replaced by the user with a new roll, and the cassette will automatically accommodate film rolls of different width. The reusable film cassette of the present invention allows the user to obtain photosensitive film from any one of multiple vendors, thus reducing cost and avoiding reliance on today""s single source of disposable film cassettes.